More and more data centers are needed for all the accurate information on the Internet, and artificial intelligence has greatly accelerated growth. They take up a lot of space and consume a lot of energy, but a new study commissioned by the European Commission has a solution: launch them into space!
The European Union has spent €2.1 million on a research project called Advanced Space Cloud for European Net Zero Emissions and Data Sovereignty (beautifully abbreviated to ASCEND). After 16 months of research, they came to the conclusion that data centers in space are “technically and economically feasible” and also help save the environment. Data centers will benefit more from solar energy outside the atmosphere.
The biggest problem with data centers is that we need them, but at the same time they put enormous pressure on energy production. Data centers need constant cooling and this requires electricity or water. Artificial intelligence has exacerbated the problem, as these data centers require on average three times more energy, according to the American news site CNBC. They also cite research that data centers around the world will need approximately 1,000 terawatt hours as of 2026. This is similar to the energy consumption of the whole of Japan.
1,300 data centers in space
ASCEND’s plan is to launch about 13 data centers by 2036, with a capacity of 10 megawatts. As of 2050, there are supposed to be 1,300, and together they generate gigawatts of power. 2050 also happens to be the year the European Union wants to become climate neutral. However, it would cost a lot of fuel to move all these data centers into space. Each “cluster,” a self-sufficient data center, must be launched separately. That is why another research group is developing an environmentally friendly release method on behalf of the European Union. If successful, the launch would cost only a tenth of the fuel.
Microsoft also wants to go to space.
There are also critics. CNBC quoted Michael Winterson, managing director of the European Data Center Association, who admits that solar energy works much better in space. At the same time, it would cost millions in fuel to maintain the data centers in Earth orbit. Data centers in space are also difficult to protect from hostile nations. However, the plan is surprisingly popular because Microsoft is also researching AI data centers in space with space company Loft Orbital.
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